It is well known to use electrical outlet boxes to terminate electrical wires and cables. Such outlet boxes permit the insertion of electrical wires into the box, which are terminated to electrical fixtures, such as switches and receptacles in an electrical outlet box. It has also become necessary to terminate communications wires for such purposes as data, voice and signal transmission and networking computers. While terminations are not required to be housed in an electrical box, as are electrical terminations, aesthetics and convenient usage has dictated the need to place the communication terminations in close proximity to the electrical terminations.
In office spaces and other commercial environments it is often desired to have access to electrical outlets or other electrical connections at locations located a distance from standard wall outlets. In order to safely accommodate such situations, floor boxes are typically used. These boxes may be located in the floor near or at the location, such as under a work cubicle or near a piece of machinery, where the connection is needed.
Such floor boxes are typically designed to be supported within a poured concrete floor. One of the problems in positioning a floor box is that the installer must assure that the floor box is both flush and level with the top of the poured floor in which it is set. In the prior art, it is known to provide floor boxes which are set in poured concrete floors and then sawed off to accommodate the depth of the poured floor. Other floor boxes may include a flange which sits on top of the floor surface and include an opening to permit access to the electrical connections. A cover is typically removably positionable over the opening to prevent inadvertent contact with the connectors and to restrict debris from contaminating the connectors.
The art has developed various boxes and housing which provide for both the accommodation of electrical terminations as well as communication terminations. Examples of outlet boxes which house electrical terminations and also support communication terminations are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,354,953; 5,646,371; 5,783,774 and 5,598,998. As seen in these patents, the electrical termination is separated from the communications terminations by a solid wall. Typically, this wall is formed by the outside wall of the box which houses the electrical terminations where the electrical terminations are held inboard of the outlet box and the communications terminations are supported outboard of the outlet box. Thus, such prior art floor boxes generally require complicated assemblies to be placed within the floor box so as to maintain adequate physical separation between the different services within the box.
Common practices and the need to use standard uniform components to cover the outlet box and provide for the ability to readily interconnect to the terminated wires requires that the distance between the electrical termination and the communications termination be fixed. Also, relevant electrical codes dictate the minimum distance that the receptacle need be spaced from the side walls of the outlet box. In the electrical outlet boxes, the art has seen the need to increase the total interior capacity of the box so as to accommodate larger numbers of wires and terminations. With respect to dual voltage boxes, it has become difficult to simultaneously increase the usable interior space of the electrical outlet box while maintaining proper spacing between the electrical termination and the communications termination. Attempts to adjust the receptacle within the outlet box may result in the receptacle being positioned either too close to one of the side walls or outside the required distance from the communications termination.
It is therefore desirable to provide a floor box for use within the poured concrete floor which effectively partitions data/communication wires from power wires and which is easy to assemble and more versatile to use.